Objective To study the epidemiological characteristics of foodborne disease outbreaks in China in 2016. Methods The foodborne disease data collected from National Foodborne Disease Outbreaks Surveillance System were analyzed. Results 4 056 foodborne disease outbreaks were reported in 31 provinces, which caused 32 812 illnesses and 213 deaths. Mushroom poisoning caused the largest percentage of outbreaks and deaths, accounting for 40.7% (991/2 435) and 74.1% (146/197), respectively. Microbiological agents caused the largest percentage of illnesses (59.3%, 12 910/21 769). Conclusion Microbial foodborne disease remains a serious food safety issues in China. Mushroom poisoning frequently occurred all over the country.